How To Improve My Golf Swing

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

I love golf (think that is an understatement really!) and over the past decade have tried to improve my golf swing and game. Needles to say, I have read and used some many techniques taught in golf books, videos and all that you can find online.

The truth is, I do gain some skills now and then. But with so many ebooks or DVDs that claim to be able to help you improve your game almost overnight, it can be difficult to really differentiate the real deal from the crappy stuff. I decided to share my experience as well as the reviews of many golfers who have tested some of the most popular golf swing improvement guides and videos. You will read the reviews of 2 systems that I have used to improve my golf swing based on my own personal experience as well as those who have used them.

The Simple Golf Swing created by David Nevogt is one of the most established and trusted guide to learn about how you can improve your golf swing. It is true to its title, The Simple Golf Swing as the tutorials and techniques are easy to pick up even for a new golfer.

If you can set aside 15 minutes to practice the training drills for at least 2 to 3 times per week for 2 weeks, you will be able to automate the newly learnt movements and train your muscle memory to perform on the field.

The information and instructions are well-written and clearly illustrated with photos so that you can understand it easily.

For the price of $47, the report as well as the bonuses like “The Simple Chip” which provides a fabulous chipping motion that works well under pressure, Mike Pedersen’s "Fit To A Tee” eBook and learn how your body is affecting your swing and how you can change all that.

PurePoint Golf created by Bobby Eldridge is a popular DVD golf program. Let us see what is the PurePoint Golf system about. It started first as the “Full Swing DVD Program” 2 years ago and has been expanded to include a full collection of 6 golf instruction DVDs. Here’s the 6 DVD titles:

1. Golf Full Swing

2. Putting

3. Short Game

4. Driver

5. Bunker

6. How to Hit a Draw

The Golf Full Swing DVD talks about the single axis swing which David Nevogt covers thoroughly in The Simple Golf Swing report. The only difference is that Bobby includes more tips. This video should be able to teach you how to achieve a consistent and powerful swing.

The Short Game DVD is ideal for anyone who is struggling with your shots within 100 yards. The Putting DVD reveals the reverse putting grip method used by some of the tournament players like Vijay Singh. This grip makes it hard to break your wrist and makes your swing precise and consistent. You will also learn some special putting drills and methods to read the green.

The rest of the DVDs are valuable to advanced golfers. If you are still new, the first few are what you need to master, ie the full golf swing and how to play short game well.

One question which most golfers ask is “How can I improve my golf swing?” So if you are asking the same question, here are some useful tips you can apply to improve your golf swing.

Most of us do not pay attention to our posture such as the way we stand, the way we grip our club and our posture when we swing. Here’s a series of steps you should observe when you are ready to start your golf swing.

1. Always decide a reference point (an object or imaginary position) between your ball and the flag. It can be a leaf or something a few feet away that forms a straight imaginary line between the flag, the reference point and your golf ball. Align yourself to be parallel to the line.

2. Use your left hand to grip the shaft such that your little finger is around it, and the shaft across your forefinger. At all times, make sure your thumb is straight on top of the shaft. Make sure you can see only 2 knuckles, and not more than that.

3. Next, fold your right hand over your left thumb. Take note that your right thumb should be aligned with your right shoulder.

4. Keep your feet apart at the same width as your shoulders. Bend your knees a bit and move your upper torso forward. Ensure that your feet, knees, hips and shoulders are all parallel to the imaginary line.

5. The weight of your body should be on the balls of your feet, and not the heels.

6. Make sure that your arms are straight with the left shoulder slightly higher than right.

7. Waggle to relax your body prior to the swing.

8. Rotate your hands to start the backswing, maintaining the grip pressure throughout the swing. Take note that in a proper rotation, your shoulders, arms, hands and hips are rotating at the same time.

9. If you are doing it correctly, your back should be facing the target once you have completed the backswing.

10. Now, you can rotate your body from the right to left in the down swing. Remember your shoulders, arms and hands will follow through with your body to power the impact until your entire body faces the target.

11. Make sure that your right foot moves at the instance upon impact. Remember that it is a swing and you are not hitting the ball so following through the entire body rotation is important.

12. If your rotation is faster, the impact is greater. The rotation involves your body and not your wrists or shoulders alone.